The Big Dance topped "Dancing With the Stars" on Monday night, as the final game of the NCAA Championship won out in the ratings, according to preliminary numbers.
The University of Connecticut's victory over Butler University, on CBS from 9:30 p.m. to 11, drew the top numbers in the adults 18-49 demographic with a 6.7 rating/16 share, with 18,6 million total viewers. The lead-in special to the title match, at 9, also drew big ratings, with a 4.4/11 in the demo, and 13.2 million total viewers.
Earlier in the evening for CBS, "The Big Bang Theory" at 8 grabbed a 2.9 in the demo with 9.5 million total viewers, while "Rules of Engagement" at 8:30 grabbed a 2.4/7 in the demo and 7.3 million total viewers.
ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," from 8 to 10, meanwhile, followed with the second-highest ratings of the evening, with a 4.6/12 in the demo and 21 million total viewers. The numbers represent a 12 percent drop in the demo from the previous week, when the dance competition grabbed a 5.1/13 and 22.3 million viewers.
ABC's primetime slate finished up with "Castle" at 10, which had a 2.9/7 in the demo, with 11.6 million total viewers. Those stats represent a 9 percent dip in the demo, when the show scored a 3.3/8 among adults 18-49, with 12.8 million total viewers.
Fox offered a rerun of "House" at 8, which pulled a 1.4/4 in the demo and 4.4 million total viewers, while a rerun of "The Chicago Code" the following hour drew a 1.2/3 among adults 18-49, with 3.8 million total viewers.
NBC kicked off its primetime roster with a repeat of "Chuck" at 8, which had a 0.6/2 in the demo and 2.4 million total viewers. A repeat of "The Event" the following hour had a 1.2/3 in the demo, flat with last week's performance, with 3.9 million total viewers, while "Harry's Law" at 10 pulled a 1.3/3 in the demo, down from last week's 1.6/4. Monday's episode garnered 7.4 million total viewers, compared with last week's 8.2 million.
